Before I started my Master’s degree, my life felt like the part of Alice in Wonderland, where Alice stops at a fork in the road and asks the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me please which way I ought to go from here?” And the Cat answers, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to?” And she says, “I don’t much care where.” And the cat says, “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
There I went in circles in my professional and personal life feeling unsure, which makes me anxious.
However, in graduate school, each professor suggested a different self-assessment. Every time I was asked where I wanted to go, my answers slowly became clearer. Until at one point it was clear as day who I was and what I was meant to do with my talents – and eventually even my life purpose.
How did I figure this out? Part self-assessments and part reflection. I took about a dozen assessments. None of them were the silver bullet. Each one provided a different perspective to prod me into analyzing myself differently.
I’d love to give you those same aha moments! So here’s my top three self-assessments. I bet you haven’t heard of #3 (my favorite).
1. Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) – the most popular
What hand do you sign your name with?
Why that hand?
Because it’s your dominant hand.
How well does it look if you sign you’re your other hand?
It looks kind of childish or unreadable.
Why?
Because you never use that hand.
Just like a preferred writing hand, we also have a preferred way to recharge our energy, process information, make decisions and manage our time.
MBTI will measure those preferences and determine your personality type. Beforehand I assumed my preferences were the best and it perplexed me when others processed info or managed time differently than me.
But if I think that way, I don’t understand and appreciate the value the other types bring to the table. Or worse, it may cause conflict.
Take the MBTI test and it’ll tell you your personality type in four dimensions and the degree to which you are that type. You’ll then get a 4-letter type (e.g., I’m an INTJ). You can also search the web for what other famous/fictional people are your type (me = Bill Gates or Walter White) or what type of animal represents your type (me = tiger, the solitary hunter). You get the point.
Next up.
Have you ever gotten (or given) job performance advice that you have excellent skill A and excellent skill B but you could really work to improve by focusing on skill C?
Why do we focus the on the weakest skills mostly during that review?
Here’s the deal. I BET that skill C is that person’s natural weakness. So getting them to focus MOST of their day on creating a development plan to improve it and discussing their weakness will make them uncomfortable, totally sad… totally unengaged! And poor engagement leads to poor profitability.
Don’t be an average leader that tries to become an expert in their weaknesses. Don’t worry about your weaknesses. Great leaders surround themselves with the right people and build on each person’s strengths.
So take the test to find out your top 5 strengths. The report will also give you action items to implement your natural strengths more so you’re using them more often.
I had a big aha moment from this assessment. My top strength was Learner. That’s a ‘no duh’ for me but when I read it further, I realized I wasn’t using it as much as I could in my day-to-day job. I re-wrote my job description to include a larger focus on application security training and presented it to my manager who loved the idea. I loved my job even more after that!
3. Enneagram (pronounced any-a-gram)
Finally, my favorite! This wasn’t used at graduate school. An executive life coach used this one on me and I was hooked. I still get something new when I re-read my results.
So let’s get the weird name out of the way. Ennea is Greek for number 9. Gram means “a drawing.” Thus, Enneagram means “a drawing with 9 points.”
There are 9 different types. When you take the test, they’ll tell you which 3 you are most likely. You’ll read through all 3 and decide which one made you cry/cringe the most. Most people react that way because it’s so spot on. And it’s the only assessment type I came across that focused deeply on how you behave not just at your best but also your worst – and with suggestions to help you stay at your best.
This is a really meaty assessment with a lot of nuances that you’ll get more value out of as you learn them over time if you’re interested. For example, you’ll see a section called “Basic Fear” which is determined by your early childhood.
This assessment had the biggest aha moment for me because I saw how I was sabotaging myself and others due to my Basic Fear (e.g., being without orientation, support and guidance). As I brought self-awareness to it, I started to realize what was triggering myself to stop acting as my best self. Within 6 months of this realization, unhealthy work relationships changed into positive ones and I was invited into groups of power and influence.
So if you want to stop going in circles and get more clarity on what makes you happy, then take one or more of these self-assessments – better yet take one with someone else and co-share results so you can get the reflection process as well. I’m excited for you!
Question: What’s your favorite self-assessment? You can leave a comment below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.